Photostat machine
Encyclopedia
The Photostat machine, or Photostat, was an early projection photocopier created in the 1900s by the Photostat Corporation; "Photostat" - which was originally a trademark of the company - is also used to refer to the similar machines produced by the Rectigraph Company.
created the need for a more efficient means of transcription than hand copying. Carbon paper
was first used in the early 19th century. By the late 1840s copying presses were used to copy outgoing correspondence. One by one, other methods appeared: among them were manifold writers (used by Mark Twain
), copying baths, copying books and roller copiers. Among the most significant of them was the Blue process
in the early 1870s, which was mainly used to make blueprint
s of architectural and engineering drawings. Stencil duplicator
s (more commonly known as "Mimeograph machines") surfaced in 1874, and the Cyclostyle
in 1891. All were manual; most involved messy fluids and were accident-prone.
founded the Rectigraph Company in 1906 or 1907, producing the first photographic copying machines; he later moved the company to Rochester, NY in 1909 to be closer to the Haloid Company, his main source of photographic paper
and chemicals.
The Rectigraph Company was acquired by the Haloid Company in 1935. In 1948 Haloid purchased the rights to produce Chester Carlson
's xerographic
equipment and in 1958 the firm was reorganized to Haloid Xerox, Inc., which in 1961 was renamed Xerox Corporation. Haloid continued selling Rectigraph machines into the 1960s.
The Photostat machine was invented in Kansas City
by Oscar Gregory in 1907, and the Photostat Corporation was incorporated in Rhode Island
in 1911, later establishing an office and factory in Rochester in 1921. The company had a licensing and manufacturing relationship with Eastman Kodak. The Photostat Corporation was eventually absorbed by Itek
in 1963.
that photographed documents or papers and exposed an image directly onto rolls of sensitized photographic paper that were about 350 feet (106.7 m) long. A prism
was placed in front of the lens
to reverse the image. After a 10-second exposure, the paper was directed to developing and fixing baths, then either air- or machine-dried. The result was a negative print, which took about 2 minutes in total to produce, which could in turn be photographed to make any number of positive prints.
The photographic prints produced by such machines are commonly referred to as "photostats". The verbs "Photostat," "photostatted," and "photostatting" refer to making copies on such a machine in the same way that the trademarked name "Xerox
" was later used to refer to any copy made by means of electrostatic photocopying. People who operated these machines were known as photostat operators.
It was the expense and inconvenience of photostats that drove Chester Carlson to study electrophotography
. In the mid-40s Carlson sold the rights to his invention - which became known as xerography
- to the Haloid Company and photostatting soon sank into history.
, Assam Valley, India
, the terms photostat, photostat machine or photocopier are used to refer modern photocopiers whereas photostat is used to describe the activity/operation of copying determined by these machines. However, rest of the country mostly prefers the term xerox and its other variations such as, xerox copier amongst others. The term xerox, also spelled as Jeraax or Serox, is commonly used in many Indian States like Tamilnadu.
Background
The growth of business during the industrial revolutionIndustrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
created the need for a more efficient means of transcription than hand copying. Carbon paper
Carbon paper
Carbon paper is paper coated on one side with a layer of a loosely bound dry ink or pigmented coating, usually bound with wax. It is used for making one or more copies simultaneous with the creation of an original document...
was first used in the early 19th century. By the late 1840s copying presses were used to copy outgoing correspondence. One by one, other methods appeared: among them were manifold writers (used by Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
), copying baths, copying books and roller copiers. Among the most significant of them was the Blue process
Cyanotype
Cyanotype is a photographic printing process that gives a cyan-blue print. The process was popular in engineering circles well into the 20th century. The simple and low-cost process enabled them to produce large-scale copies of their work, referred to as blueprints...
in the early 1870s, which was mainly used to make blueprint
Blueprint
A blueprint is a type of paper-based reproduction usually of a technical drawing, documenting an architecture or an engineering design. More generally, the term "blueprint" has come to be used to refer to any detailed plan....
s of architectural and engineering drawings. Stencil duplicator
Mimeograph machine
The stencil duplicator or mimeograph machine is a low-cost printing press that works by forcing ink through a stencil onto paper....
s (more commonly known as "Mimeograph machines") surfaced in 1874, and the Cyclostyle
Cyclostyle (copier)
The Cyclostyle duplicating process is a form of stencil copying invented by David Gestetner in London in 1890. A stencil is cut with the help of small toothed wheels on a special paper underlaid with carbon paper which serves as a printing form. Gestetner named the Cyclostyle after a drawing tool...
in 1891. All were manual; most involved messy fluids and were accident-prone.
Rectigraph and Photostat machines
George C. Beidler of Oklahoma CityOklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
founded the Rectigraph Company in 1906 or 1907, producing the first photographic copying machines; he later moved the company to Rochester, NY in 1909 to be closer to the Haloid Company, his main source of photographic paper
Photographic paper
Photographic paper is paper coated with light-sensitive chemicals, used for making photographic prints.Photographic paper is exposed to light in a controlled manner, either by placing a negative in contact with the paper directly to produce a contact print, by using an enlarger in order to create a...
and chemicals.
The Rectigraph Company was acquired by the Haloid Company in 1935. In 1948 Haloid purchased the rights to produce Chester Carlson
Chester Carlson
Chester Floyd Carlson was an American physicist, inventor, and patent attorney born in Seattle, Washington....
's xerographic
Xerography
Xerography is a dry photocopying technique invented by Chester Carlson in 1938, for which he was awarded on October 6, 1942. Carlson originally called his invention electrophotography...
equipment and in 1958 the firm was reorganized to Haloid Xerox, Inc., which in 1961 was renamed Xerox Corporation. Haloid continued selling Rectigraph machines into the 1960s.
The Photostat machine was invented in Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
by Oscar Gregory in 1907, and the Photostat Corporation was incorporated in Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
in 1911, later establishing an office and factory in Rochester in 1921. The company had a licensing and manufacturing relationship with Eastman Kodak. The Photostat Corporation was eventually absorbed by Itek
Itek
Itek Corporation was a US defense contractor that initially specialized in the field of camera systems for spy satellites. In the early 1960s they built a conglomerate in a fashion similar to LTV or Litton, during which time they developed the first CAD system and explored optical disk technology...
in 1963.
Description
Both Rectigraph and Photostat machines consisted of a large cameraCamera
A camera is a device that records and stores images. These images may be still photographs or moving images such as videos or movies. The term camera comes from the camera obscura , an early mechanism for projecting images...
that photographed documents or papers and exposed an image directly onto rolls of sensitized photographic paper that were about 350 feet (106.7 m) long. A prism
Prism (optics)
In optics, a prism is a transparent optical element with flat, polished surfaces that refract light. The exact angles between the surfaces depend on the application. The traditional geometrical shape is that of a triangular prism with a triangular base and rectangular sides, and in colloquial use...
was placed in front of the lens
Lens (optics)
A lens is an optical device with perfect or approximate axial symmetry which transmits and refracts light, converging or diverging the beam. A simple lens consists of a single optical element...
to reverse the image. After a 10-second exposure, the paper was directed to developing and fixing baths, then either air- or machine-dried. The result was a negative print, which took about 2 minutes in total to produce, which could in turn be photographed to make any number of positive prints.
The photographic prints produced by such machines are commonly referred to as "photostats". The verbs "Photostat," "photostatted," and "photostatting" refer to making copies on such a machine in the same way that the trademarked name "Xerox
Xerox
Xerox Corporation is an American multinational document management corporation that produced and sells a range of color and black-and-white printers, multifunction systems, photo copiers, digital production printing presses, and related consulting services and supplies...
" was later used to refer to any copy made by means of electrostatic photocopying. People who operated these machines were known as photostat operators.
It was the expense and inconvenience of photostats that drove Chester Carlson to study electrophotography
Electrophotography
Electrophotography is a dry photocopying technique invented by Chester Carlson in 1938, for which he was awarded on October 6, 1942...
. In the mid-40s Carlson sold the rights to his invention - which became known as xerography
Xerography
Xerography is a dry photocopying technique invented by Chester Carlson in 1938, for which he was awarded on October 6, 1942. Carlson originally called his invention electrophotography...
- to the Haloid Company and photostatting soon sank into history.
Malaysia
The terms photostat and photostat machine (sometimes spelled "fotostat" due to Malay spelling) are erroneously used in Malaysia to refer to modern photocopiers.India
In KeralaKerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, Assam Valley, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, the terms photostat, photostat machine or photocopier are used to refer modern photocopiers whereas photostat is used to describe the activity/operation of copying determined by these machines. However, rest of the country mostly prefers the term xerox and its other variations such as, xerox copier amongst others. The term xerox, also spelled as Jeraax or Serox, is commonly used in many Indian States like Tamilnadu.
See also
- List of duplicating processes
- Duplicating machinesDuplicating machinesDuplicating machines were the predecessors of modern document-reproduction technology. They have now been replaced by digital duplicators, scanners, laser printers and photocopiers, but for many years they were the primary means of reproducing documents for limited-run distribution.Like the...
- Cyclostyle (copier)Cyclostyle (copier)The Cyclostyle duplicating process is a form of stencil copying invented by David Gestetner in London in 1890. A stencil is cut with the help of small toothed wheels on a special paper underlaid with carbon paper which serves as a printing form. Gestetner named the Cyclostyle after a drawing tool...